L'amour Apres La Morte
by niravive
Summary: In the final battle against Voldemort, Arabella sees Sirius killed. She goes back to her house to help one of her cats accept the truth, and finds something out she would have never guessed. SB/AF, 3rd in the little series, but stands on own somewhat.
1. Default Chapter

AN- The 3rd in the SiriusxArabella miniseries I have going. ^^ Lessee. This one's dedicated to all of the stressed high school juniors in the world. Godric knows there are enough of us. Okay, the genre for this'll be angst/romance. Interesting combo, isn't it?  
  
*~*  
  
Arabella sat outside the castle in the skies, breathing in the air, staring upwards, despair clear on her face. She tried not to replay the scene in that last battle in her head.  
  
She had seen Sirius die.  
  
A single tear tumbled down her face.  
  
She felt like her heart had shattered into millions of tiny fragments, each buried deep beyond her grasp. Even Mundungus had left her, after seeing she was uninjured, to help those in more desperate need.  
  
She knew she wouldn't be missed by this point if she left. Whispering the levitation spell that she could by now recite in her sleep if need be, she rose, apparating back to her home.  
  
*~*  
  
She floated in to find one very confused human staring at her hands in a bemused fashion. Arabella sat down in an armchair near her and spoke. "Do you know who you are?"  
  
"I have this overwhelming urge to say my name is Tibbles." the woman said slowly, as if puzzling out each word. Arabella nodded her agreement. "But my name. Is it Angelina. Fische?" she asked hesitantly. The others perked up at her last name. Arabella nodded again.  
  
"You were a Muggle who was caught in the crossfire of a magic battle. There was a powerful curse used on you, and it damaged your mind so severely that even after your physical wounds healed, your psyche needed more time, but the hospital was overbooked, so Professor Dumbledore transformed you into a cat and put you in my care." Arabella gestured to the other cats regarding Angelina. "They are the same."  
  
Angelina looked as if she was mentally trying this on for size. Finally, after long minutes where Arabella sat in silence with her thoughts, as morbid and depressing as they were, Angelina nodded. "I. I wish to return to California. I have a daughter. I have a husband. Do they know where I've been?"  
  
Arabella shook her head. "They probably believe you to be dead."  
  
"Then why bother saving my mind?" she demanded loudly. "Why? If I was just going to lose my family either way?"  
  
"Professor Dumbledore will help you get situated."  
  
"I want my family! They are my life!" Angelina flung an arm outwards dramatically.  
  
"I cannot help you more. Professor Dumbledore will help you," Arabella stated with such an air of finality that Angelina quieted, pulling her knees up to her chest and gazed out the window.  
  
*~*  
  
Arabella quickly made her way down the hall, ducking into her bedroom and slamming the door shut. She flung herself down on the bed, and tears started pouring down. Sirius was gone. For many a long month he had been her only guiding light down dark tunnels. He had inspired her, even in Azkaban, he had been one of the only people important in her life. Now, he was gone. Brief days before they had been passing the time in Hogwarts, acting like seventeen year olds, though one was a professor. The day before the battle, they had had a fight. Sirius had died when they hadn't been speaking.  
  
Arabella sobbed into her pillow, letting all her pain and worry surface for once. She cried for all her lost comrades and helpless victims of the fights between her and Death Eaters. She cried for so much lost innocence, and the children who would never know their parents and the parents who would never see their children graduate. She cried as old nightmares mixed and mingled with the new.  
  
Once all her tears had been cried for one night, she drifted off into a restless and exhausted sleep, hugging her left hand to her heart.  
  
*~*  
  
Arabella woke up the next afternoon to find the house empty. Angelina and the cats were all gone. Hunting, she supposed. She stretched slowly, and the light caught on one of the rubies in the promise ring Sirius had given her long months ago. A sob caught in her throat. She ruthlessly suppressed it, and headed down for lunch/breakfast/food.  
  
She went out into her garden, to sit under the large tree with her breakfast. She looked over at her meager garden where Sirius had defended her from the garter snake. She smiled sadly. It was amazing how, in such a short amount of time, she and Sirius had made so many fond memories.  
  
There was a crunching sound on the wood chips she had laid down. She briefly glanced up before looking back down. Then, something sunk in, and she looked back up, face shocked.  
  
She unsteadily rose to her feet, mouth agape as she stumbled over to fall into familiar arms.  
  
Sirius clasped her close to him, breathing in her scent and relieving himself that she was there. That he was there. They were together. Finally, after all this time, he could be human outside with her.  
  
Arabella leaned into him, clutching at him desperately. "I'm so sorry." she choked out.  
  
Sirius lifted her face. "Why are you crying, 'Bella?" he asked gently.  
  
In response, she lifted her left hand to behind his head, and pulled him down, and started thoroughly kissing him.  
  
Sirius' eyes widened. That was unexpected. But she was obviously happy to see him. As he kissed her back, he made a mental promise. 'Never again will I leave you.'  
  
Sirius broke off the kiss, and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "I'm sorry 'Bella. It wasn't important enough to lose you over." Sirius got down on one knee.  
  
"Arabella Figg, would you do me the honor of marrying me?"  
  
Once more, Arabella found herself speechless. She mutely nodded.  
  
Sirius rose, and put an arm around her waist. "By the way, love, how're you walking?"  
  
Arabella recovered slightly. With a mischievous grin, she said, "That's a secret!" and darted off to the house, leaving him to run after her, shouting happily.  
  
*~* owari *~*  
  
AN- This is probably the last of these that I'll be writing for a while. Weddings are a little too happy for my current writing abilities. ^^* But never fear, I love these two too much to simply abandon them to have a non- wedding. I'll write it eventually. I'll have to design all the robes and all first. So, do tell me what you think of this nice story I just wrote in like half an hour. What can I say? It flowed out of my fingers onto the screen brilliantly. ^^v See ya' next HP story. I will explain Arabella's walking in another story, never you fear. 


	2. 2

Late that evening as the fire was dying, Arabella was lying in Sirius' arms with her head against his shoulder.  
  
"Mmm. Nice." she whispered. "How'd you live?"  
  
"It wasn't the killing curse. Actually, it wasn't a curse at all, but a gun. It got me through the lung, which is why you thought you saw me die. But one of the kid-Healers was right nearby, and healed me, and I spent the rest of the battle as Padfoot protecting Katy with Sean." Sirius' eyes were mostly shut as he leaned back, reveling in the feel of Arabella in his arms, where he didn't have to hide anymore.  
  
"I'm glad. Never leave me again, Siri." she smiled gently, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. "I should be getting to bed; it's late."  
  
Sirius pulled her back down. "Don't go, 'Bella," he whispered in her ear, breath tickling her neck.  
  
"Accio blanket," she muttered, pulling said blanket over them and falling asleep on Sirius.  
  
They would worry about the future when it came. Until then, she was content to just lie next to him, held secure in his arms.  
  
AN- That explain it? I might do the wedding sooner than I had planned, but it's still nebulous. Okay, pounding headache, annoying parent, going now. 


End file.
